Koreans'
food is a defining element of their culture for several reasons.
One is that food is directly related to Korea's environment -
the country's location, its geography, and climate. Korea is a
peninsula with a climate that resembles the north central region
of the United States: cold winters, warm summers and long, pleasant
autumns. Because the land is composed mostly of mountains and
extends from the North Asian landmass into warmer seas in the
south, Korea has many microenvironments. Rice, beans, and vegetables
are grown in the valleys while in the mountains mushrooms and
many wild plants such as bracken and bellflower are either collected
or cultivated. Each region has its own dishes unique to its climate.
In the mountainous northeastern part of the country, for instance,
the most famous dishes have plenty of wild ferns and native roots
in them. In the rice-growing valleys of the south, in the region
of Chonju city, the best known dish is a large bowl of rice covered
in a variety of finely sliced vegetables, meats, and a spicy sauce
called Pibimpap.

Koreans eat lots of seafood. Fish from the Yellow Sea differs
from those of the Eastern Sea (Sea of Japan) and those of the
south coast differ from the others. Koreans are seafood connoisseurs
and seek out the specialties of each region. But all Koreans eat
three types of seafood all the time. One kind is a small dried
sardine. Bowls of these appear at every meal, including breakfast.
They're used not as a main dish but as condiments to be eaten
with others. Another is dried cuttlefish. Drive along any road
or street near fishing ports and you will see lines of these cephalopods
hanging out to dry. Dried cuttlefish is Korea's most popular snack
food and is even sold in vending machines. Seaweed is also a seafood,
of the plant variety. There are several kinds that Koreans routinely
eat. Seaweeds are nutritious and useful in a country that endures
long winters. Babies are fed seaweed soups and traditional birthday
celebrations include seaweed soup on the menu.

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Dried
squid is a favorite snack

The Importance
of Preserving:

Other reasons
why food is closely identified with Korean culture is historical
and environmental. Until the 20th century Korea was a rural,
farming society with a good deal of wild food gathering. Farmers
worked hard to intensively cultivate the land. As a result,
Korean food tends to be hearty, much more so than in neighboring
Japan or China. A traditional Korean breakfast, for instance
is not a bowl of leftover rice gruel, as in China, but a rich
soup made of either beef ribs or pork intestines (tripe). Koreans
eat many preserved foods because these had to be made for keeping
over wintertime. Every traditional household has large earthenware
pots filled with pickled vegetables (kim chee), soybean pastes,
and chile pastes. Even today, apartment buildings in any city
will have row upon row of preserving pots set out on apartment
balconies. Dried fish, meats, and vegetables remain staples
of the Korean diet and make it unique from all other Asian cuisines.

Korean
cuisine is also a product of its history and location. For many
centuries China dominated East Asia's culture. Writing, governmental
systems, arts and foods that evolved in China were passed on to
Korea and then to Japan. Rice, for instance, was first domesticated
in China, as were many kinds of cabbage. Domesticated animals
such as pigs, cattle, and fowl also came from China. It is not
surprising that eating with chopsticks from small bowls, apparently
developed in China in the Han Dynasty (about 200 B.C.-about 200
A.D.), is one way that Koreans dine. However, sit at any Korean
table - cross legged at low tables - and you will find a long
handled spoon set out with metal chopsticks. That's for eating
the soups that appear on every table at every meal.

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Earthen
jars of chili paste

Food
History:

Korean
food is also heavily influenced by the revolutionary changes in
world cuisines that occurred after 1500 A.D. The European conquest
of the Americas led to a world-wide distribution of new foodstuffs.
The best example for Korea is the chile. A native to Central and
South America, it was spread across the world by Portuguese and
Spanish merchants. Indian and Southeast Asian cuisines without
chiles are unimaginable. Nor is Korean. Chile paste are absolute
staples of all Korean tables and many food preparations. Although
many people think of Korean cuisine as "hot" in reality
chile sauces are not loaded onto every dish but added as flavor
enhancements. Like most Korean dishes, flavors and ingredients
are flexible, so diners can add as much or as little flavoring
as they like. Some like it hot, some do not.